Gwyn ap Nudd
Where do I even begin with Gwyn ap Nudd? '' ''"Add quote here" Short character summary Introduction Alignment Unseelie (previously masquerading successfully as Seelie for 3,000 years thanks to the aid of an Old Lore aithwick). Appetite Regular food and his own glamour. His true appetite is meant to be the death of others, before shepherding their souls on to the afterlife. But Gwyn's appetite has been permanently stunted, and he cannot truly feed, so his body practices autophagy on his own dra'ocht. Species Common fae Heartsong * Wildness: Current as of The Ice Plague #2 Previously: * Loyalty (childhood) * Triumph * Wildness (Deeper into the Woods) * Justice (Game Theory) * Surrender (Game Theory ''and ''The Court of Five Thrones) Class * King of the Unseelie/Monarch: Current as of The Ice Plague #2 Previously: * Court (Deeper into the Woods) * King of the Seelie/Monarch (Game Theory) * Underfae (Game Theory) * Inner Court (Game Theory) Names/Titles/Aliases * King of the Seelie * Unseelie King * Gwyn of the Stars (trows) * The Dual King (sea fae) * Bright One (Old Pete, others) Life Early Life Born to Crielle Ferch Fnwy, in midwinter. The birth was traumatic, as Gwyn's light activated in childbirth, destroying Crielle's womb and presumably genitals. Crielle realised her son was Unseelie and attempted to strangle him to death. Lludd Llaw Eraint managed to stop her, but this marked the beginning of Gwyn's life in the An Fnwy estate, where he was hated by his parents for being Unseelie. Abuse Soldier War General King of the Seelie Unseelie King Appearance Gwyn is tall and well-built, with pale blonde (almost white) curly hair and pale blue eyes. His skin is also very pale, and it flushes easily. He is unusually muscled for fae, who tend to prefer lithe and thin bodies over heavily muscled ones. This is a result of conscientious physical training since his early life. Gwyn's hair isn't wavy, but described very specifically as falling in thick curls that often form ringlets. It's length has been variable, but usually falls just below or just above his ears. He is not given to fastidious grooming, so it's often quite shaggy. Gwyn prefers casual clothing over formal clothing, and is most often seen wearing a cream peasant shirt, and long brown or tan pants. He doesn't wear underwear. Sometimes he will have a long-sword strapped to a sheathe at his side. In a military capacity, he wears medieval plate armour and no helmet. When he was Seelie, the armour was a pale cream metal described as never having been seen in the human realm. As Unseelie King, his armour is black and forbidding, with an illusion of antlers springing from the top. He generally wears no jewellery. After The Court of Five Thrones, ''he wears a red leather cord (from Mikkel), and the communication charm hagstone that he made to be able to receive messages from Augus. Personality Gwyn is reserved, stoic and generally noble (especially for an Unseelie fae), though he will do whatever it takes to win a mission or a campaign, making him one of the most effective strategists of his time. He is capable of thinking outside of the box, while also shown caring about old fae etiquette and protocols of respect. He can be uptight, stuffy and resistant, and he dislikes being seen as weak, vulnerable or submissive. He has no patience for frippery, courtiers, or class, but despite this carries his privilege visibly, commanding others and expecting to be followed and obeyed. With loved ones, Gwyn will sometimes become more vulnerable, in which case he can be uncertain or given to expressing his uncertainties. He expects people not to like him, and so he constantly attempts to prove himself and his worth through his actions, despite never asking for thanks or acknowledgement. He deeply dislikes being King, as well as resenting Court life and the trappings of Kingship. Gwyn can be cold-hearted, especially when angered, and sometimes he struggles to be empathetic. Despite this, he will make incredible sacrifices for the people he cares for, and he can be very soft-hearted, especially around animals and vulnerable fae. He is most comfortable in wild places. Because of his upbringing around Seelie fae, many fae describe him as a 'hybrid' between classes, and some Unseelie fae believe he thinks in far too 'Seelie' a manner to belong with them. Despite this, he has shown Unseelie traits time and again. Special Abilities Fae Ability A destructive light that is celestial in origin (later revealed in ''The Court of Five Thrones) to be a catchall fae term for powers not fully understood). The light is one of the few abilities considered 'too powerful to be allowed.' Anything touched by it is damaged near-permanently, as established by the ruin and wasteland that is the first An Fnwy estate. Anyone injured by the light cannot heal the damage from it. When Gwyn uses it destructively, he creates burn damage on his own skin similar to that of lightning strikes. The light is pale, cold, and such a difficult force for Gwyn to carry that he cannot grow any body hair save for the pale hair on the top of his head and his eyebrows/eyelashes. It causes him chronic pain. In The Ice Plague, ''when his light is removed from him, we learn that Gwyn's natural hair colour is a rich golden blonde, and that his eyes are meant to be a deep, vivid blue. He also gains the ability to grow body hair. Magical Propensity Gwyn's magic is unexplored in the canon, but he will make charms on occasion. Notably, he makes a communication charm of two hagstones so that he and Augus can communicate with each other. It is also indicated in ''The Wildness Within ''that he has other magical skills, including in the ability to find lost things and people, which may go some way to explain his tracking ability. Classless Status As part of his classless status, Gwyn is able to call animals to him silently, of all species. He's also able to teleport as underfae. Skills '''Tracking:' A noted tracker with unusually refined ability to find anything and anyone he is looking for. Multilinguist: It isn't known how many languages Gwyn knows, but it is the most of any fae character we've met so far. He picks up languages quickly and easily. Combat: Gwyn was raised as a soldier, and knows multiple weapons fluently. In Fae Tales he is shown to be efficient with his body, long-swords and swords, recurve and longbows. It is strongly indicated that he has proficiency in other weapons. Tactician: A master strategist, this was his primary skill when he used to assist the Oak King in the Seelie Court. Calligraphy: He is skilled at calligraphy and has very fine day-to-day penmanship. He makes many of his own inks by hand. Cartography: He apprenticed under Ethwynn to learn how to make maps, and sells them. One of the reasons he says he enjoys adventuring, is to create maps for places no one has ever mapped before. Diplomacy: For all that Gwyn has been identified as a War General for most of his life, he has strong skills in diplomacy and mediation. 'Hunting: '''Considered a very competent, sure hunter. Relationships Folklore/Mythology Common fae are a species of fae invented by Not-poignant, though they have been compared to 'elementals' in the past (on Tumblr), they don't seem to be true elementals (which Ondine is a good example of). Instead, they are fae who live quite humanoid lives, forming societies and self-administrating, which means they are commonly found in positions of governance. They often have an ability that leans towards a particular element, as examples: Light for Gwyn, and Fire for Efnisien. Often you can only tell a common fae's element from what you can observe during their teleportation. Gwyn ap Nudd himself however is a powerful psychopomp in Welsh mythology, and him and his family are all found in the mythology, though significant changes have been made. Gwyn ap Nudd has been considered a deity, king of the fairies, leader of the Wild Hunt, and has been compared to figures like Herne and Cernunnos. In the mythology, he is often shown to have soot on his face, and often in the company of the cwn annwn - hunting hounds of the Wild Hunt. He is considered an archetypal hero, warrior, hunter and king. Quotes Trivia * Some of Gwyn's favourite foods includes raw sugar, lollies and extremely fatty foods. Because he's often burning through his reserves so quickly, he looks to fats, sugar and proteins in their purest form. As a result, he enjoys the food Ash brings back from the human realm. * Gwyn has a habit of hiding things beneath pillows in his room/s. In ''Game Theory ''this was often armour oil (used as lubricant), quills, little ornaments, buttons, and much more. He shows strange packrat/hoarder tendencies. * Gwyn enjoys all animals, and there has never been an animal he hasn't liked in any of the canon stories. * Not-poignant has frequently described Gwyn as a 'Disney Princess' on Tumblr, and there has even been fanart depicting him as one. * Gwyn is highly susceptible to the effects of marijuana (see the canon extra, ''Unwound), despite finding it nearly impossible to get drunk without consuming huge amounts of alcohol. * Gwyn sneezes when his eyelashes are touched by someone else. Category:Character Category:Unseelie Category:Monarch Category:Game Theory Category:The Court of Five Thrones Category:Deeper into the Woods Category:Main Character